Improvement in sewing-machines



T. J. W. ROBERTSON-v Sewing Machine.

N0. 1f6,850. Patented March 17, 1857.

UNITED STATES amw QFFICE...

T. J. W. ROBERTSON, OF NFNV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, T. J. WV. ROBERTSON, ofthe city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new feedingdevice for producing what is known as the feed movement of the cloth orother material in sewing-machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference being hadto the accompanying draw sented by a double red line,is laid.

B is the stand, which contains the guides in which the needle-bar 0works.

D is the elastic foot, which clamps the cloth and confines it to thetable A, and prevents its rising therefrom when the needle is with--drawn from it.

All the above parts are the same as are found in other sewing-machines.

a a is the feeding-hook, which may consist of a straight arm terminatingin a single sharp-hooked point, or of a forked arm terminating in twosharp-hooked points, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2. The latter form isperhaps preferable, for the reason that the points which are to catchhold of the cloth and draw it along may operate on both sides of theneedle, slots 6 b being provided in the foot D for the said forks topass through the foot, so that the cloth may be clamped between the footand the table all round where the hooks operate. The feeding-hook isattached by a transverse pin, 0, to an upright lever, cl, which hangs ona fulcrum-pin, e, secured to the stand B, so as to be capable ofswinging in a vertical plane or planes parallel with the intendeddirection of the feed movement of the cloth. The feeding-hook may bemade of suflicient weight for its points to fall upon and catch into thecloth with sufficient tenacity to draw it along when they are moved inthe direction toward which they incline, as shown by the arrow in Fig.1; or, if it is not made heavy enough to catch with sufficient tenacity,it may be extended beyond the pin 0 to form a heel, a, to be connectedwith the lever d by a light spring, 1', for the purpose of forcing thepoints into the cloth. The weight or spring does not require to beheavy, but only sufficient to prevent any tripping action of the hookover the surface of the cloth, as it is not necessary for the hook topress hard upon the cloth with a clamplike action, or to confine thecloth to the ta ble-thatbeing done by the clamping-foot D- and the hookwould operate just as well if the table were made with recesses oppositeto where the points work. The necessary reciprocating movement of thefeeding-hook is effected by a wiping-piece, f, attached to theneedle-bar O for the purpose of wiping against the lever (1 every timethe needle-bar rises, and a spring, which throws back the lever againsta stop, h, attached to the stand. B. The points only catch the clothduring their movementin the direction in which they incline, asindicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. WVhen moving in the opposite directionthey slide over the surface. The length of feed may be varied toregulate the length of stitch,

either by moving the stop h, which is made eccentric for that purpose,or by shifting the wiping-piece f to throw its point in or out.

Various methods besides that herein set forth may be adopted for givingmotion to the hook. y

I do not claim the broad idea of pulling the cloth through asewing-machine independent of any tool or contrivance for so doing;neither do I claim thebroad idea of moving cloth by means of hooks inall kinds of machines, for an example of such a movement is seen in theweaving-temple of J. O. Tilton, patented 1855; but

. I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent Feeding the cloth insewing-machines by means of a hook having one or more points,constructed and operated substantially as described.

. T. J. WV. ROBERTSON. Vitnesses:

J. W. CooMns, R. BAIJKILEN.

